Low-energy potential-induced helium trapping in nano-austenitic steels

In austenitic steel for use in reactor cores, the selected solute elements can greatly affect the steel's resistance to damage by He irradiation. In this work, we examined the effect of solute solubility on He irradiation damage in nanostructured austenitic steel. i) The chemical contributions are charge transfer and bonding between elements, whereas the mechanical contribution is associated with local distortion due to atomic radius mismatch; ii) The bonds between rare earth elements and bulk atoms are weak and short, resulting in the formation of low-energy potential traps around the rare earth elements, enabling them to trap He. This insight is valuable for understanding the mechanisms of radiation resistance in metals.